Abner Li has worked at 9to5Google since 2015 and in late 2020 took on the role of editor-in-chief. He is keenly focused on tracking what happens at Google and is often the first to spot new features in Google’s ever-growing family of applications that are updated on a daily basis, including Search, Assistant, Maps, Workspace, Android, and Chrome/OS.
To him, what Google does greatly impacts the technology space and modern life. Inside the company, he is particularly interested in the key products mentioned above, as well as up-and-coming services like Google Podcasts and Google Lens. Each are massive platforms that can be unwieldy to grasp, with Abner keenly bent on understanding their philosophy and future direction. He is most excited about Google’s plans for augmented reality glasses.
Abner spearheads the APK Insight program at 9to5Google to chronicle all changes in the company’s Android apps, often finding new features before they are officially announced. This includes redesigns and revamps, launches, and new products.
Another big area of interest is Google’s burgeoning hardware division. He detailed all of the Pixel 3’s camera features before launch and got wind of Stadia’s hardware controller. Most recently, Abner scooped the 2nd-generation Nest Hub’s Soli-powered Sleep Sensing capability and how it would integrate with Google Fit.
Send tips/talk to abner@9to5mac.com or @technacity (open DMs).
Google today announced that YouTube TV was getting a dedicated and optimized experience for the big screen. An Apple TV app will be available in the coming weeks, along with clients for LG, Samsung, and Sony smart televisions.
Following the rollout of 280 character tweets last month, Twitter announced that it is developing a bookmarking feature to save tweets. A highly requested feature, one product manager at the company today shared an early prototype.
Late last month, YouTube TV launched in 12 more markets around the United States. That brought the $35 per month cord cutting service to 41 cites, a fast ramp up since its late February launch. Today, the cable competitor is launching in eight more cities.
Earlier last month, Twitter began testing a night mode for its desktop website that matched its iOS app. The social network today announced that it is rolling out the darker theme to all users beginning today.
Google Glass has seen a number of developments in recent weeks with the most significant being a wider launch of the Enterprise Edition. Meanwhile, the Explorer Editions and the Android companion app received their first updates in nearly three years. Over the weekend, Google has gone ahead and updated the iOS version of MyGlass with 64-bit support.
Last month saw YouTube TV expand to 10 more markets around the U.S. Today, the $35 per month cord cutting service is launching in an additional 14 locations, with Google’s cable competitor now available for residents of 29 areas around the country.
Being the default search engine on iOS is highly lucrative for Google, with Apple’s devices predicted to account for approximately 50% of Google’s mobile search revenue. So much so that one financial firm estimates that Google will pay Apple $3 billion this year to remain the default.
Earlier this year, YouTube launched a new private video sharing functionality for the service on mobile. After first launching in Canada and then expanding to the rest of North America, the Shared tab is now rolling out globally.
Last year, Facebook poached Regina Dugan, the head of Google’s Advanced Technology and Projects, to lead a new hardware group. Building 8’s first products are now coming into light as a new report notes the development of a HomePod smart speaker competitor and a video chat device. For those that remember Mark Zuckerburg’s security advice from last year, the rumors of these new products come with some irony.
Version 60 of Google Chrome is rolling out now to macOS with the long awaited Touch Bar support. This release also adds support for a number of developer-focused features, including the Payment Request API and an updated Credential Management API.
As announced last month, YouTube TV is now available in 10 more locations around the United States. For $35 per month, users can watch the Big Four networks, sports, and other cable channels on iOS and Apple TV (via AirPlay) clients that feature an unlimited DVR for saving movies and TV shows.
After a brief delay last month, Google’s Backup and Sync desktop app for Mac is now available for download. With this revamped client, only one application is needed to back up files on a desktop to Google Photos and Drive.
Google Photos is beginning to rollout Suggested Sharing and Shared Libraries following their announcement at I/O 2017 last month. The first feature recommends images to share, while the latter allows entire libraries to be continuously shared with another person.
Since Gmail’s launch in 2004, one point of frequent contention was how the free service scanned emails to show tailored ads. Google has today announced that it is ending this personalization practice in Gmail later this year.
Google currently has separate desktop clients to back up to Google Drive and Photos. With the upcoming Backup and Sync for Mac, the company is replacing the Drive client with a new app that features better integration.
Google Search on mobile is adding a new view that better surfaces and summarizes events from sites like Eventbrite and Ticketmaster. Available on iOS, users will now be able to filter based on location and other factors.
While Apple is rumored to announce a Siri Speaker at WWDC aimed as a high-end Echo competitor, Amazon is readying an Alexa device with a built-in display. In a leaked image, the new device is more monolithic, featuring a touchscreen and possibly a camera.
Google Maps is adding a small, but very useful feature that lets users save where they parked. Available on both iOS and Android, the feature can also provide reminders for when your parking meter is about to expire.
Apple Music for Android has received a huge revamp today to match the release of iOS 10 for iPhone and iPad last September. That redesign is now making its way to the streaming service’s Android app. The interface is nearly identical with features like iOS 10-specific features including lyrics and an improved Library available on Android for the first time.
With a focus on parts of the world that have slower connectivity, Google updated Photos today to have faster backup and sharing, while the Duo video chatting app received an audio-only mode.
With the launch of Allo and Duo last year, Google telegraphed that Hangouts would become an enterprise product. Today, the service is being fully revamped into Hangouts Chat and Hangouts Meet. The former is a Slack-like group chat app, while the latter improves video conferencing.
YouTube has finally announced its long-rumored online television service that doesn’t require a cable subscription. Known simply as YouTube TV, it features local broadcast networks and channels like ESPN for $35 a month.
Update: The redesigned Google Voice app is now available on the App Store.
Back in 2009, Google launched an ambitious voice-forwarding service that allowed users to maintain one number across multiple devices. Today, Google Voice received its first major update in years that sees a redesigned web interface, iOS app, and the promise of continued updates.
With the addition of intelligent Goals last year, Google Calendar became more than just a regular scheduling and to-do app. Today, the iOS app is gaining Apple Health integration that will automatically mark as finished and adjust your fitness-related Goals.